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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

BLW - Help!

15 replies

CaptainFlameSparrow · 19/07/2006 09:29

Hmmm... so DS has heard me getting all excited by this idea of BABY led weaning.

He is now 20 weeks (nearly 21), and has started attacking any food that I am foolish enough to leave near his mouth (ice cream, melon, rich tea biscuit so far...).

He doesn't seem to be hungry as such, just enjoying food.

I was liking the idea of just giving him finger foods etc and leaving the mush stage, but he still has over a month before I was even considering starting.

Do I take his lead (as the original plan would suggest ), and just give him bits from now on, or do I try and wait a bit longer?

I'm thinking that between now and 26 weeks, I just let him munch at things I am eating if he wants to, but not start actual meals as such until he hits the 26 week stage - he isn't actually hungry as such (no screaming for foods between feeds, just the normal extra feeds to quench thirst in this heat).

But on the other hand I think - he is saying he wants food.

Oooh, all confused. It seemed an easy plan when he was meant to be following my timetable . My mum is of the opinion that her gran etc just fed solids when the baby wanted them and wouldn't have been thinking "oooh, its not x weeks old yet".

Oodles of rambling there, and don't really know what I'm wanting to ask/be told!!!

If you understood any of that and want to reply, then go for it!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
CaptainFlameSparrow · 19/07/2006 10:15

bump

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 19/07/2006 10:30

Weaned on rich tea biscuits and ice cream - classy.

SoupDragon · 19/07/2006 10:31

I'd take his lead I think (says she who's reluctant to wean BabyDragon at all even though she looks ready to bite my hand off at the wrist if it's holding food). Maybe a few bits of something like banana he can rub into his face?

mustrunmore · 19/07/2006 10:32

Morning you. ds2 is 21 wks (I think). I'm letting him grab stuff... melon etc... as its more nutritious that chobbling his fingers. But am giving him mush at lunchtime.

Original poster
CaptainFlameSparrow · 19/07/2006 10:35

pmsl - I did think that it was a classic MN thread "I weaned my baby on icecream and rich tea!!!"

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 19/07/2006 10:36

Fruitshoots and sausage rolls would be better.

I reallreallyreallyreally don't want to wean BabyDragon

mustrunmore · 19/07/2006 10:37

Having said that, if it'd been ds1 i'd have been in a dilemma now, but I'm just sooo lazy with ds2, we'll just take it as it comes

Original poster
CaptainFlameSparrow · 19/07/2006 10:44

I'm so torn - I want him not weaned for as long as possible, but feel mean because he is swiping any food he can, and managing perfectly well with it.

I feel like I only like BLW when I am doing mummy led weaning, but pretending its his choice

OP posts:
mustrunmore · 19/07/2006 10:51

But maybe he just wants something in his mouth.. not food in particular?

beatie · 19/07/2006 10:51

It;s tricky isn't it. I allowed dd2 her first solids at 26 weeks even though she was eagerly swiping at food before that point. When we had dinner we used to sit her in the middle of the table in her Bumbo, kind of like a centre piece and I let her play with a plastic weaning spoon. She didn't seem too bothered by the fact there was nothing on it. She seemed contented that she was being included, in some way.

hotmama · 19/07/2006 10:55

Hiya Flame [Hotmama waves] - I've started a couple of similar threads in weaning and bf - I'm still holding out but intend to go down the blw way.

Have you got the book that Soupy has got - she mentioned on a thread there is a place for first foods - she is going to put Antinguan banana - PMSL at rich tea biscuits and ice cream.

aitch71 · 19/07/2006 10:56

Ahoy Cap'n,
i don't have the perfect answer to your question i'm afraid, but i just wanted to say that i have been doing BLW with my daughter for a month now and it is only recently that her nappies have changed and the food is being digested. initially, things just passed straight through.

Sooooo, despite the fact that she was interested in food, happy to munch on it etc, her digestive system clearly wasn't up to the job from the word go.

Given the fact that the medical advice to wait until 6 months old centres around the readiness of the gut to actually cope with food i am really glad i waited the full period, IYSWIM.

my mum, for the record, seemed OBSESSED with saying 'you can see she's desperate for food/look at her following that food with her eyes/ooh the poor child etc etc' but perhaps all that watching and grabbing is about learning to eat, rather than eating itself? even now, despite the fact that my mother and i spent a day at the beach eating bread, hummus, melon, carrots, ham, chicken, salad and a fried potato (okay, dammit, a chip), i still have to ignore her when she says 'didn't i tell you that child was ready to eat?'. yep, mum, you did. at bloody three months.

anyway, she's seven months old now and we are having a great time. she's munching on some avocado on rice cake as i type...
so thinking about it, if i was you i would wait, especially if he isn't hungry. do you think a particularly chewy toy would keep him occupied in the meantime?
h

h

beatie · 19/07/2006 10:58

"and a fried potato (okay, dammit, a chip), "

hotmama · 19/07/2006 11:01

.... but a fried potato sounds so much more bourgois!

aitch71 · 19/07/2006 11:20

mais bien sur, hotmama.

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